Nursing Bra

ABSTRACT

A nursing bra is provided. The present nursing bra has a pair of individually openable bra cups and a layer of anti-slip material disposed on the interior surface of the shoulder straps. The bra cups utilize a hidden clasp mechanism, thereby rendering the present invention indistinguishable from a conventional bra. Furthermore, the bra cups are adapted to open outwardly and to conceal the sides of the user&#39;s breasts when breastfeeding, thereby providing the user with an increased amount of privacy. The anti-slip material is designed to prevent the present bra from slipping from the user&#39;s shoulders when breastfeeding.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/860,060 filed on Jul. 30, 2013. The above identified patent application is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety to provide continuity of disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to females undergarments. More specifically, the present invention relates to nursing bras having individually openable bra cups and hidden connector mechanisms for the bra cups.

Mothers are forced to used specialized types of bras designed for nursing when breastfeeding children because conventional bras are extremely difficult to remove in a discreet and convenient fashion. This is generally not an issue when the mother is breastfeeding a child at home; however, children often demand regular feedings throughout the day and therefore mothers must be prepared to breastfeed their children at all times, regardless of the convenience at the moment. Nursing bras are therefore designed to provide mothers with discreet means for breastfeeding their children when absolute privacy and convenience are not available. However, currently available nursing bras suffer from a wide range of issues, including their durability, the lack of full privacy afforded by them due to their tendency to slip from the user's shoulders and the amount of the user's breast that they expose, and the general bulkiness of their design. Therefore, there is a need in the prior art for a nursing bra that addresses the aforementioned issues.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Devices have been disclosed in the prior art that relate to nursing bras. These include devices that have been patented and published in patent application publications. These devices generally relate to bras having removable or openable bra cup portions. The following is a list of devices deemed most relevant to the present disclosure, which are herein described for the purposes of highlighting and differentiating the unique aspects of the present invention, and further highlighting the drawbacks existing in the prior art.

Nursing bras typically comprise flaps or panels on the bra cups that are adapted to be folded downwardly when a connector, such as a hook or clasp, is unfastened. These designs place a large amount of stress on the movable components of the bra and, when combined with the frequency with which an individual needs to fold and unfold these flap or panel portions of the nursing bra, this causes a substantial amount of wear and tear on the nursing bra. Because of this, nursing bras utilizing a foldable or movable flap or panel design generally have a very short lifespan.

Furthermore, conventional nursing bras are designed to fold downwardly, exposing the side of the user's breast when breastfeeding. This can make it very uncomfortable for users to breastfeed their children because the users have to worry about their privacy at all times. Various types of accessories for breastfeeding mothers are available, such as blankets and covers adapted to cover the chest region of a mother when breastfeeding. However, this forces the caregivers to carry additional items with them at all times they are away from home.

Lastly, conventional nursing bras comprise bulky, exposed clasps that impact the user's wardrobe options. The clasps stand out beneath garments that fit tightly around the user's chest region, which is unattractive. This forces the user to wear only certain types of garments, which can be extremely frustrating for individuals who have recently given birth.

A novel nursing bra is provided. The present nursing bra comprises an underwire, a pair of shoulder straps, a back strap with a clasp, and pair of individually openable bra cups. The bra cups are affixed to the underwire at their lateral side and removably connected to the underwire at their medial side by connectors, allowing each of the bra cups to be selectively opened for breastfeeding. Because the bra cups open from the center, they provide coverage to the side of the user's breast when in use, unlike conventional nursing bras. Furthermore, the shoulder straps have an anti-slip material disposed along the interior surface of the shoulder straps to ensure that the present nursing bra stays firmly in place when in use.

The present invention substantially diverges in design elements from the prior art and consequently it is clear that there is a need in the art for an improvement to existing nursing bra devices. In this regard the instant invention substantially fulfills these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of nursing bras now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new nursing bra having individually openable cups wherein the same can be utilized for providing convenience for the user when breastfeeding a baby.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved nursing bra device that has all of the advantages of the prior art and none of the disadvantages.

Another object of the present invention to provide a nursing bra device that has a bra cup that can be easily and reversibly opened.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a nursing bra device that does not slip from the user's shoulders when breastfeeding.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a nursing bra device that comfortably fits a wide range of users.

Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a device that may be readily fabricated from materials that permit relative economy and are commensurate with durability.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

Although the characteristic features of this invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims, the invention itself and manner in which it may be made and used may be better understood after a review of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like numeral annotations are provided throughout.

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the present invention with the cups closed.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the present invention with the cups opened.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the reverse portion of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference is made herein to the attached drawings. Like reference numerals are used throughout the drawings to depict like or similar elements of the nursing bra. For the purposes of presenting a brief and clear description of the present invention, the preferred embodiment will be discussed as used for breastfeeding a baby. The figures are intended for representative purposes only and should not be considered to be limiting in any respect.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3, there are shown various perspective views of the present invention. The present nursing bar comprises an underwire 13 having at least one connector 17 disposed thereon, a pair of cups 11, a back strap 14 extending from the lateral edge of the cups 11 and adapted to encircle the user's back, and a pair of shoulder straps 12 having a first strap end 33 connected to the apex portion of the cups 11 and a second strap end 34 connected to the back strap 31. The underwire 13 comprises metal, plastic, or any other material having suitable stiffness for supporting the cups 11 and a user's breasts therein. The underwire 13 is a rigid framework that comprises two separate curved portions that are adapted to extend around the underside portion of a user's breasts and that are integrally affixed together via a medial central gore 15 portion. The underwire 13 is adapted to substantially conform to the shape of a user's breasts so that it, along with the cups 11, can comfortably support a user's breasts.

The underwire 13 comprises a first lateral side that is hingedly connected to the bra cups 11 and a second side that is detachably connected to the bra cups 11 via a series of connectors 17. Each bra cup 11 comprises at least one connector 17 disposed along its inner peripheral edge 20 that engages with a complementary connector 17 disposed on the underwire 13. The connectors 17 provide a removable engagement between the bra cups 11 and the underwire 13, thereby allowing users to selectively open the bra cups 11 for nursing a child. The complementary portions of the connectors 17 are aligned along inner peripheral edge 20 of the bra cups 11 and the underwire 13 so that they engage together when the bra cups 11 are pressed against the underwire 13. In the depicted embodiment of the present invention, the connectors 16 comprise snap connectors having a cap portion disposed along the inner peripheral edge 20 of the bra cups 11 that engages with a complementary socket portion disposed along the underwire 13. However, no claim is made as to a specific removable connector. Furthermore, each bra cup 11 comprises a hinged connection 16 between the lateral sides of the underwire 13 portions. These hinged connections 16 allow the bra cups 11 to open outwardly away from the lateral sides of the bra, thereby preventing the side of the user's breasts from becoming exposed when breastfeeding a child. In the depicted embodiment of the presented invention, the hinged connection 16 comprises flexible material that is adapted to bend when the bra cup 11 is opened by the user. However, all types of hinged connections are contemplated by the present disclosure.

The shoulder straps 12 comprises a front strap, a back strap, a first end 33 connected to the apex portion of the bra cups 11, and a second end 34 adjustably connected 35 to the back strap 14. The adjustable attachment 35 between the second end 34 and the back strap 14 comprises a slider and ring mechanism or any other such adjustable bra attachment mechanism commonly known in the prior art. The back strap 14 comprises a pair of wings extending from the lateral side of the bra cups 11 that are connected via a clasp 18, such as a hook and eye closure as is commonly known in the prior art.

The shoulder straps 12 further comprise an anti-slip coating 19 disposed on the interior surface thereof. The anti-slip coating 19 comprises a material having a coefficient of friction greater than one, such as silicone rubber. Alternative embodiments of the present invention further comprise an anti-slip coating material disposed on the interior surface of the back strap 14. The anti-slip coating 19 prevents the present invention from slipping from the user's shoulders or otherwise shifting when breastfeeding a child.

It is therefore submitted that the instant invention has been shown and described in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.

Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim: 1) A nursing bra, comprising: an underwire having a lateral first side and a second side; a pair of cups having an inner peripheral edge; a back strap; at least one shoulder strap; said cups hingedly attached to said lateral first side; said inner peripheral edge detachably connected to said second side via at least one connector. 2) The device of claim 1, further comprising: said at least one strap having an interior surface; an anti-slip coating disposed on said interior surface. 3) The device of claim 2, wherein said anti-slip coating comprises silicone rubber. 4) The device of claim 1, wherein said at least one connector comprises at least one snap connector. 5) The device of claim 1, wherein said cups are adapted to hinge outwardly away from the lateral sides of said nursing bra, thereby covering the sides of a user's breasts when breastfeeding. 